The facts are simply stated. Defendant sought representation from plaintiff, an attorney, and ultimately, plaintiff undertook such representation. No retainer or other written agreement was executed setting forth the terms of the representation. Plaintiff alleged that he expended over 16.50 hours in his representation of defendant, and defendant incurred a fee of $6,600. On April 30, 2008, plaintiff forwarded a statement for legal services together with pre-action fee arbitration notice. That notice provided:

Under Rule 1:20A-6 of the New Jersey Rules of Court, a client has a right to seek an arbitration regarding any portion of the client's fee obligation by making this request in writing within 30 days of receiving this letter. If you seek arbitration, you must contact the Secretary of the Fee Arbitration Committee of your County, request a copy of the forms, and file the forms with the Fee Arbitration Committee of your County, with a copy to my office. If you do not communicate with the Fee Committee within 30 days of this letter, you shall waive your right to seek fee arbitration. The Fee Committee's address is: Terrence J. Corriston, Esq., District II-B (North Bergen County), Breslin & Breslin, 41 Main Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601 (201) 342-4015.

The statement and notice were apparently received at defendant's place of business on May 8, 2008. By a petition dated June 9, 2008, defendant filed for fee arbitration. The Fee Arbitration Committee (the Committee) accepted the petition and notified plaintiff who, in turn, objected to the petition as being outof-time. That response prompted a letter from the Committee secretary stating:

I am in receipt of your objection to accepting the referenced matter for Fee Arbitration based upon the failure to file within 30 days of receipt of the Pre-Action Notice. I note that the Pre-Action Notice failed to provide "that if the client does not promptly communicate with the Fee Committee secretary and file the approved form of request for fee arbitration within 30 days after receiving Pre-Action notice by the lawyer, the client shall lose the right to initiate fee arbitration" in accordance with R. 1:20A-6. As such, the Pre-Action Notice was technically deficient.

Accordingly, the matter is being accepted for Fee Arbitration. [Emphasis added.]

Plaintiff failed to respond to the Committee, and on September 15, 2008, plaintiff was advised:

On July 7, 2008, I notified you that the Fee Arbitration Request Form filed by Mr. Kang was accepted due to a deficient Pre-Action Notice and we would proceed with the fee arbitration and to please forward your response within 30 days. A copy of my letter is enclosed. As of this date, you have not remedied this deficiency as required. I must advise you that, pursuant to R. 1:20A-3(a)(2)(i), your failure is no longer remediable and you are hereby barred from further participation in this matter, which shall proceed uncontested. By copy of this letter, I am so notifying all parties and request that a hearing be scheduled as soon as possible.

Plaintiff was also advised of an October 22, 2008 hearing date but failed to appear. He, instead, advised the Committee that he would be seeking a declaratory judgment challenging the arbitration and further advised that if he was unsuccessful, "then it is my intention to default in the fee arbitration."

Plaintiff did not file a declaratory judgment action but filed a complaint seeking fees based on breach of contract and quantum meruit. In addition, he filed an order to show cause against defendant, without notice to the Committee, seeking to stay the arbitration.*fn1 The application was denied by the Law Division.

The arbitration hearing took place in plaintiff's absence and the Committee determined that the appropriate fee was $1,200. The Committee awarded that amount to ...

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